Tower-clock.



K.DOUGAN.

TOWER CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY3I,I9I&

l 1 85,6 1 O. Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. a

[IIIIIIIIII II III IIII K.'DOUGAN.

TOWER cLocK. APPLICATION-FILED1ULY3|119131 1 1 85,6 1 O. Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

KENNEDY DOUGAN, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

TOWER-CLQGK.

`Speciiicatiron of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

original application filed July 9,190.8, Seria1N0- 442,790.. Divided and this application filed July 31, 1913.

i serial No. 782,241.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that 1, KENNEDY DOUGAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at hands controlled by means of a motion-governing mechanism such as disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial Number 442,790, filed July 9, 1908, of which this application is a division.

As now practised, the hands of tower clocks are driven by gearing and weights, the weights tending constantly to operate the gearing in a direction t0 move the hands about the circle at the proper speed, while the clock mechanism serves to release and stop this gearing at regular intervals thereby giving the hands a step by step movement. Because of the sizey and the weight of the hands of power clocks, this clock mechanism in such cases of necessity has to be very large and heavy, and it is extremely expensive and difficult to provide the proper mechanism for driving the same. Moreover, the size of the paits and their resultant changes, due to expansion and contraction from changes of temperature, result in irregularities which make it extremely difficult .to regulate a ltower clock so that the same can be caused to keep proper time.

It is the object of my invention to provide means for' operating the hands of a tower clock, which means are caused to be controlled by the hands of an ordinary small balance wheel clock, the hands of said small clock controlling the movement of the hands of the larger clock but said hands of the larger clock being driven by an electric motor. This is accomplished by the application of the principles of the motion-translating mechanism described and broadly claimed in the aforesaid co-pending appli- 0 cation.

T e ,full `objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed .description thereof and are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, illustrating the application 0f my invention in one form, Figure 1 is a sectional view through the dial of a vtower clock, the hands of which are 0perated through the employment of the means o f my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the principal features of my invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section through a portion of the gear box on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are modifications of the controlling member running from the sinall clock. Figs. 6 and 7 are detailed sectional views showing the parts in different positions on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8 8 of Fig. 2.

As indicated in Fig. 1, a shaft 10 is journaled in bearings on a bracket 11 and dial plate 12 through which said shaft extends, having thereon outside of said dial plate a minute hand 13 and a counterweight 60 thereon inside of said dial plate.. An hour hand 14 is driven from shaft 10 by reduction gearing 16 through a sleeve 61 so as to make one-twelfth of a revolution for each complete revolution of the minute hand.

On sleeve 61 is located a counter-weight 62 on the inside of dial 12, similar to counterweight 60, for the purpose of securing balanced hands so that a constant actuating force may be applied to rotate the same. The shaft 10 projects rearwardly from the standard 11 and has rigidly secured thereon a disk 15 provided with a peripheral outturned flange 17, said flange 17 being formed as a continuous bevel gear 19. The bevel gear 19 meshes with a bevel gear 18 on a hub 20, which, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, is loose on a shaft 21 journaled in a frame 22 secured to the standard 11. Preferably a boxing 23 also secured to the standard 11 incloses the disk 15, frame 22 and parts carried thereby. An electric motor 24, which may be supported upon the floor of the boxing 23, through gearing 25, worm shaft 26, worm 27 and worm wheel 28, fast on shaft 21, drives said shaft 21 at a contant speed.

Fast o n shaft 21, as shown in Fig. 2, is a bifamiliari .ei-"ai 30 having journaled therein a short shaft 31. On shaft 31, at one side of arm 30, is a spur gear 32 meshing with a spur gear 33 on the hub 20. On the other end of shaft 31 at the other side of arm 30, is another spur gear 34 meshing with a spur gear 35 on a hub or sleeve 36 loose on shaft 21. The hub 36 has thereon a ratchet wheel 37. It is to be noted that the gear 33 on hub 20 is of larger diameter than the gear 35 on hub 36 and is provided with a number of teeth, one or more, in excess of the number of teeth on the gear 35, as may be desired. Correspondingly gear 32 is smaller and has fewer teeth than gear 34. It follows from this that as arm 30 is revolved with shaft 21, and gears 32 and 34 are rotated about and in mesh with gears 33 and 35, respectively, there will be a differential translation of this motion which will constantly turn gear 35, hub 36, and with it ratchet 37, gear 18 normally remaining locked in mesh with the teeth of gear 19. 1f, however, the ratchet 37 and gear 35 are held fixed, this differential motion will be translated to hub 20 and gear 18, resulting in driving the gear 19 and with it the disk 15 in the direction of the adjacent arrow.

A clock 40, which may be a balance wheel clock of ordinary construction, but will preferably be one of good workmanship and design such as will run accurately for eight days from ene winding, is mounted at the center of disk 15 so that the shaft 41 for the minute hand of the clock will be eo-axial with the shaft 10. In place of the usual minute hand, a balanced pointer 42 is employed, which pointer has pivoted on the end thereof a balanced head 43. The head 43 is provided with flanged arms 44 and 45 embracing a circular T-rail 46: It also has a pawl 47 positioned so as to be engaged by the teeth of ratchet wheel 37. As long as the head 43 is in balanced position the flanged arms 44 and 45 will not engage the T-rail and the pointer 42 will be freeto move independently along said rail 46. Vhen, however, the pawl 47 is engaged by the teeth of ratchet wheel 37, the head 43 will be rocked upon its pivot, causing the flanged arms 44 and 45 to grip the T-rail 46, thereby simultaneously locking said head to the T-rail and holding said ratchet wheel 37 from rotation. This immediat-ely causes gear 18 to operate gear 19 and move the disk 15 and all parts connected thereto, including the clock 40, pointer 42 and clock hands 13 and 14, about the axial center of shaft 10. Since the head 43 is clutched to T-rail 46, said head, together with clock 40, will be moved with the disk 15, which will result in withdrawing pawl 47 from beneath thel tooth of ratchet wheel 37, whereupon said pawl will be released and the head 43 will assume normal position, in which it is free to be moved under influence of clock 40 along T-rail 46. At the same moment the gear 18 will become stationary and the ratchet wheel 37 will again begin to rotate until the finger 42 again brings pawl 47 into position to be engaged by a ratchet tooth of wheel 37, when the operation will be repeated. It will thus be seen that the actual movement of the disk 15 and the clock hands 13 and 14 is effected by the motor 24 through gear 18, thel connecting geai' for driving shaft 21 and the motion-translating mechanism described, and yet said movement is always the same as the distance that the clock hand or finger 42 has been moved by the clock 40, so that when clock finger 42 has been carried about a complete revolution the disk 15 has also made a complete revolution and the clock hands 13 and 14 have indicated the same passage of time as would have been indicated by the clock 40.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the finger 42 may be loose on the clock shaft 41. An arm 48, fast on said shaft 41, may have a projection 49 engaging a shoulder 50 on the shaft of finger 42, being fiexibly held in engage ment with said shoulder by means of a two armed 'lever 51, having one arm connected by link 52 to finger 42 and the other arm engaged by a spring 53. The arm 48 actually driven by the clock 4() will, therefore, be capable of movement relative to arm 42, but is flexibly connected thereto to move the same when desired.

I claim:

1. A tower clock comprising hands and means for moving the same, a member continuously driven at fixed speed, a second clock, and a mechanical element constantly driven by said second clock for intermittently effecting driving connection between said driven member and the means for moving the hands.

2. A tower clock comprising hands and means for moving the same, a clock movable with said moving means and having a hand moving in the reverse direction to that of the moving means, a motor and means for connecting the same with said moving means, and means in said connections rendered operative by said last named clock hand to cause the same intermittently to actuate the moving means.

3. A tower clock comprising hands and means for moving the same, a clock movable with said moving means and having a hand moving in the reverse direction to that of the moving means, and hands about the axial center of movement thereof, a motor and means for connecting the same with said moving means, and means in said connections rendered operative by said last named clock hand to cause the same intermittently to actuate the moving means.

4. A tower clock comprising hands, means Cil Afor moving said hands including a geared disk, a constantly driven shaft, a. gear loose on said shaft meshing with said first named gear, a ratchet loose on said shaft, a differential planetary gear mechanism connected with the said shaft and driving said ratchet when the shaft gear is stationary and driving the shaft gear when the ratchet is stationary, and clock-controlled means for intermittently holding the ratchet wheel stationary.

6. A tower clock comprising hands, means for moving said hands including a geared disk, a constantly driven shaft, a gear loose on said shaft meshing with said first named gear, a ratchet loose on said shaft, a differential planetary gear mechanism connected with the said shaft and driving said ratchet when the shaft lgear is stationary and driving the shaft gear when the ratchet is stationary, a clock mounted upon the disk and having the hand thereof moving in the reverse direction to that of the disk, and means on the hand for intermittently engaging and holding stationary the ratchet wheel.

7. A tower clock comprising hands, means for moving said hands including a geared disk, a constantly driven shaft, a gear loose on said shaft meshing with said first named gear, a ratchet loose on said shaft, a differential planetary gear mechanism' connected with the said shaft and driving said ratchet when the shaft gear is stationary and driving the shaft gear when the ratchet is stationary, a clock mounted upon the disk and having the hand thereof moving in the reverse direction to that of the disk, means on the hand for intermittently engaging and holding stationary the ratchet wheel, and means on the disk coperating` with said means on the hand whereby the hand is clamped to the disk while the ratchet wheel is engaged and held.

8. A tower clock comprising hands, means for moving said hands including a geared disk, a constantly driven shaft, a gear loose on said shaft meshing with said first named gear, a ratchet loose on said shaft, a differential planetary gearmechanism connected with the said shaft and driving said ratchet when the shaft gear is stationary and driving the shaft gear when the ratchet is stationary, a clock mounted upon the disk and having the hand thereof moving in the reverse direction to that of the disk, a circular T-rail on the disk, a balanced head pivoted on the hand and: having a bifurcated portion loosely embracing the T-rail, and a pawl for engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, suchengagement oscillating the head and operating simultaneously to hold the ratchet wheel stationary and clamp the headt to the Tlrail.

9. A tower clock comprising hands, a` motor and normally inoperative connections for driving said hands, a second clock, a finger moved by said second clock constantly toward said connections in a direction opposite to that in which the hands are driven, said finger being engageable with a portion of said connections and rendering the same operative to drive the hands by such engagement, and means whereby the finger is moved bodily with the second clock away from said connections when the hands are being driven.

10. A tower clock comprising hands, a motor and normally inoperative connections for driving` said hands including a normally rotating ratchet wheel, a second clock, a finger driven by said second clock and having thereon a pivoted head constantly moved toward said ratchet wheel, means on said pivoted head to engage and hold said ratchet wheel, and means in said connections whereby holding of the ratchet wheel renders the connections operative to drive the hands.

11. A tower clock comprising hands, a motor and normally inoperative connections for driving said hands, a second clock having a driven shaft, a finger loose on said shaft, an arm fast on said shaft and flexible connections between said arm and said finger, and means on said finger for intermit- .tently rendering said driving connections operative.

12. A tower clock comprising hands, a motor and normally inoperative connections for driving` said hands, a second clock having a driven shaft, a finger loose on said shaft, an arm fast on said shaft, a lever pivoted to said arm intermediate its ends, a link pivotally connecting one end of said lever with the finger, a spring connected with the other end of said lever and yieldingly holding the finger to move with the arm, and means on the finger for intermittently rendering said connections operative.

13. A tower clock comprising hands, constantly driven power mechanism for driving said hands, said constantly driven mechanism being normally inoperative to effect driving of the hands, a second clock provided with a radially extended resilient arm revolved in a direction opposite to that of the said hands, means including a ratchet driven by said power driven mechanism for rendering the same operative' to drive the,

hands when said ratchet is held from movement, mea-ns on the resilient arm to hold said ratchet from movement when the same is In testimony whereof I affix my signature brought into engagemerlilt with ghe1 raltcheti in presence of two Witnesses.

an means connecting te secon c oci anc finger to move in unison with the hands KENNEDY DOUGAN' whereby driving of the hands will Withdraw Witnesses:

the engaging member on the finger from H. A. BOWMAN,

engagement With the ratchet. ROBERT W. MUIR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Yatentm, Washington, D. C. 

